It is common for fishermen to facilitate the replacement of hooks on the ends of the full lengths of their fishing lines by having with them a plurality of leaders, which are short lengths of line having hooks already at one end and swivel eyelets or loops at the opposite free end. Various leader carriers are known for transporting such leaders for this purpose. The carriers serve to present the leaders in an organized fashion, prevent their entanglement, and to shield the user from the barbed points of the hooks. Examples of carriers of the type to which the invention relates are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,416,142; 1,451,256; 3,213,564; 3,.564,755; and 4,179,834.
Conventional leader carriers typically employ a rectangular or tubular elongated body member having means thereon for attaching the leader hooks and means, longitudinally spaced from the hook receiving means, for attaching the eyelet or looped ends so that the leaders can be extended in separated positions generally longitudinally along an external surface of the body member. The hooks are normally received with their points facing an interior or shielded portion of the carrier. In the usual arrangement, either the hook or loop end is first attached to the carrier and then the leader is drawn out to attach the opposite end at another point on the carrier, with the leader line maintained in tension. Many of these devices are complex, difficult to load, or have posts protruding from exposed surfaces.
Of particular interest to the present invention is the carrier shown in Trumble U.S. Pat. No. 1,416,142 which has no externally protruding posts and to which leaders can be conveniently added or removed. The Trumble carrier comprises a longitudinally-tapered, tubular body member with a central pocket at its small end into which the points of the hooks are fitted. The leader lines are extended lengthwise against the outer surface of the body, and held in tension to keep the hooks in place by means of a ring which is slid over the looped ends of the leaders towards the maximum diameter end of the body. To remove a leader from the carrier, the ring is advanced toward the minimum diameter end, which frees the looped ends of the leaders sufficiently from the gripping action of the ring in order to permit the removal (or addition) of a leader. A disadvantage of the Trumble fishing "snell" or leader carrier is that sliding the ring forward to release (or add) a single leader, requires the simultaneous release of all other leaders. The carrier in accordance with the present invention overcomes this disadvantage, while retaining other advantages of Trumble, and, furthermore, provides additional advantages as well.